The present invention relates generally to satellite communication systems, and more particularly, to a satellite communication system employing gateway switch networks that permit full coverage of all user beams with a subset of the gateways having reduced frequency reuse.
Typical frequency reuse satellite communication systems support one or several gateways and provide a connection between each gateway and the multiple beams it supports. The frequency reuse of the communication system is achieved because the satellite supports a number of gateways and beams in parallel.
It would be desirable to have a communication system that permits a gradual increase in communication bandwidth commensurate with an increase in usage. It would be desirable to have a communications system employing a frequency reuse satellite that may be deployed to serve the full coverage area at reduced bandwidth with a subset of the full complement of gateways for which the satellite system was designed. It would be desirable to have a communications system employing satellites to back up one gateway using another (backup) gateway by partitioning and sharing the backup gateway's reused bandwidth.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide for an improved communication system employing gateway switch networks that permit full coverage of all user beams with a subset of the gateways having reduced frequency reuse.